For those snuggling down on a comfy sofa in front of Sky, the spectacle of a Lord's final between Somerset and Warwickshire on Saturday evening may be quite appealing. But for the real spectators – those actually at the game – and for the players taking part in what was once the climax of the domestic season, it could be a nightmare.

For the first time the final will be played under floodlights. A 40-over match will start at 3pm, and is scheduled to finish at 8.45pm. This was quietly established before the beginning of the season; so quietly that the start time has taken most people by surprise. Colin Graves, Yorkshire's chairman, who sits on the ECB executive board, was said to be "incandescent" when he learnt of the scheduling, though his team's defeat yesterday means he can calm down now. That is not the case for Andy Nash.

The Somerset chairman, increasingly a non-shrinking violet, spoke of the "towering incompetence" of the ECB.

What is the problem? For Somerset supporters, apart from the risk of suffering from hypothermia, there is the considerable inconvenience of the last train back to Taunton leaving at 8.30pm. For Warwickshire followers there is a train to Birmingham after 9.30pm, but those who do not live in the second city face the same problem. So fans who travel by public transport – and given that many will have a drink at this fixture, that means most people – miss the last hour of play or the cost of an expensive day out is doubled by a London hotel bill. Add up the train travel, match ticket and overnight accommodation, not to mention other expenses, and this is England's first £200-a-head county cricket match.

For the players, there is the distinct possibility that the ball will be like a bar of soap once the late September dew descends in the evening. So the outcome is in danger of becoming a lottery dependent on the toss of a coin.

The attendance at this Lord's final will surely be the lowest yet, and may not reach five figures. Even loyal supporters, who because of this year's scheduling only have a week in which to make their plans, are thinking twice about going. Yet again the paying spectator, rather than the armchair subscriber, is being snubbed. Even Sky may be up in arms when all those empty seats are visible on television.

Somerset's chairman was gobsmacked when his private inquiries about the reason for the 3pm start were answered. "Yom Kippur" was the explanation, which left him speechless. There were, apparently, concerns that the synagogues emptying on Saturday evening would affect crowds around St John's Wood.

The Observer pursued this with the ECB. "Yes", said Andrew Walpole, the communications manager, "Yom Kippur was a factor for the host venue [the MCC] in the decision-making process." This prompted more head-scratching. Surely if the game had been scheduled to start at, say, 12 noon and finish by 6pm, the crowd would have dispersed by the time the synagogues were emptying more than an hour later? The Yom Kippur defence, while novel, is nothing more than frivolous. The Metropolitan Police were dumbfounded on hearing that an ECB official had suggested they had advised the late start. The Police had no say whatsoever in the decision.

"The MCC were keen to play under lights and to host the first floodlit final," Walpole said. "It was thought that it might make it more of an event and might generate a bigger attendance." There were now so many mentions of the MCC, who are very keen to grab an opportunity to use their swish new lights, that it was necessary to check whether the ECB bore any responsibility at all. Walpole acknowledged that they did. All this was decided in consultation with the ECB. He added that the decision was "not driven by television, although Sky were quite receptive to a 3pm start".

The "dew factor" was not pursued very far. It is true that in the days of the 50- and 60-over final the toss appeared to have too much influence. Batting at 10.45am in September could be treacherous. One of the few virtues of a final of 40 overs duration is that it is possible to start at 12, finish by 6 and neither early morning nor early evening dew is likely to interfere.

Despite widespread dismay, the timing of the match will not change, according to the ECB. However, recognising a problem, they have agreed to subsidise the cost of coaches for fans travelling long-distance. Even so, these are hard times for the paying spectator, wet ones for the players.

In another year this could be dismissed as a one-off aberration, a blip that could easily be rectified. But this year the incomprehensible timing of this match seems to epitomise a game in turmoil. Leaving aside some of the paltry attendances in a bloated international season, the game at county level has rarely been so fraught and fractured.

Still no one knows what is happening next year in domestic cricket. The membership packages for 2011 would normally be on sale by now, but how can the counties produce them when they still do not know what is on offer? This is a source of huge frustration. The financial concerns are reflected in the clubs' unusual attitude to their senior players. Established cricketers such as Ryan Sidebottom, Amjad Khan and Owais Shah are on the move, partly because clubs are fretting about money. These players are now too expensive.

There is no stability. Instead the game appears to lurch back and forth in pursuit of short-term gain. In 2009, feeling dwarfed by the glitter of the IPL, it was decided that the Twenty20 in England had to be expanded. In 2010, a strong lobby now insists with equal vigour that it must be reduced.

The domestic calendar changes every year, leaving the average punter bewildered. Yet the game just about survives at county level because there is a hardcore of devotees who simply love it. But even their patience is being tested now, and next weekend some of them will reluctantly decide to miss the Lord's final, which was once the pinnacle of a successful county's season.